I have never been a smoker and the hardest drug I've ever done is Goldshlager, but I do have an addiction. It's sweet, sugary and comes in a can. I have been addicted since university, where a nearby store would have frequent big sales which made it cheap as dirt. Yes, I'm talking about soft drinks, soda pop, colas and other fizzy drinks. Now, I've decided to stop it, and discard my sugary overlords.
Now I'll freely admit that this is far from a serious addiction. It's a psychological dependency, and not a physical one, which will likely make it much easier for me to kick the habit. As well, if I have a relapse - and chances are I will - it will likely not have as dire of consequences as a more serious addiction. I am well aware that it's just fizzy drinks, while probably not especially healthy it's not that serious a problem.
Still, I've got to admit, changing the way I drink is much more difficult than I anticipated. I'll admit, that on trips to any grocery store I tend to gravitate towards the soft drink section. Even if it's not traditionally a good idea, my first drink of the morning comes in a can, and I tend to go through cases at a rapid clip. It's not the healthiest drinking solution, but I've become hooked, and I have decided that it's a bad thing.
That is, in essence, why I've decided to drop it. I realized this on Sunday afternoon, when an empty case stared at me and I got the urge to rush to the nearest grocery and stock up again. At that moment, I decided I indulge in such things too much, and should probably stop. Not to say I didn't also buy some non-fizzy canned drinks, but these are baby steps and I won't replace that case with a new one when it empties. It's a slow process.
Now, the most obvious reason would be that I'm doing it for health reasons. I'm not getting any thinner, so maybe I should start working on changing the direction of my waistline quite quickly. If a reduction in such drinks can serve to help with that change, fantastic, and all I miss out on is a pile of sugar every morning, noon and night. Since I loathe artificial sweeteners, I can't move to diet varieties, so the only move that makes sense is to cut them out.
I also hope it improves my impression of such drinks when I have an inevitable relapse. In spite of removing most sodas from my refrigerator, I've got to admit that I'm not going to eliminate all of them. I have a love of boutique Root Beers, something which would bankrupt me if I allowed myself to indulge it as frequently as I'd like. It's my hope that by eliminating the more pedestrian varieties of Root Beer from my life, it will increase my appreciation for the specialty models, with their improved ingredients and special recipes. Since my bank account would scowl with disapproval if I buy too many, it'll remain a rare treat, not a frequent indulgence.
Still, my minor and fairly innocuous little addiction does give me appreciation for those who struggle with real ones. This is minor, and entirely psychological, but it's still difficult. I cannot imagine what it would be like to try to break a real addiction, which comes with physical side effects and dependencies that are much more serious. It's hard to break any habit, but at least my bad habit is entirely in my own head.
